Soul Food, the third cookbook by Nashville native Carla Hall, is still new, with no stains. But the recipes in the book have been passed down through Southern kitchens on many food-stained recipe cards. Hall will appear in conversation with Kelly Pickler at Parnassus Books in Nashville on December 4.

Harrison Scott Key’s latest book, Congratulations, Who Are You Again?, tells the story of his journey to authorhood and the toll it took on his personal life and emotional health. Plus, there are jokes. Key will appear at Novel in Memphis on November 16.

Nashville: Scenes from the New American South, the new coffee-table book from photographer Heidi Ross and writer Ann Patchett, is true to its namesake—a glorious blur of music and lights and smiles and signs and people always on the move. Patchett and Ross will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on November 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Portals provides a stunning selected retrospective of the work of painter Glennray Tutor, as well as an in-depth interview with the artist. Tutor will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on November 11.